Hey all... Great Club!
I’ve always been a strong supporter of owning the actual releases of all forms of media (i.e. DVD’s, CD’s, Software, etc…) and this certainly includes anime.
In going through my Anime List… out of the 100 completed titles I’ve seen, I own the actual releases of 98% of the ones that have been released domestically. And the few that I don’t own are mostly OVA’s of original series I do own which aren’t available otherwise. For instance, I just recently finished Elfen Lied and then was a little let down that the short, single episode Elfen Lied OVA wasn’t included in the box set I had purchased. So in that instance, I felt there was no harm for me to download the OVA.
I have also downloaded or streamed a few complete short series’ that I don’t foresee in any way ever seeing a domestic DVD release. Like REC, or for instance I bought Steel Angel Kurumi Season 1, Season 2 & Encore… but for some reason they never domestically released Steel Angel Kurumi Zero .. A series I would have definitely bought if they had released it domestically (I would have been let down however as it kinda sucked ;-) .. but I would have bought it at least…
Anyhow, I started this thread in hopes to discuss where others buy anime online .. I do buy at a few places locally, (the obvious) Best Buy plus at a few semi-local more fan-specific independently owned Anime Superstore type of places .. but otherwise, there’s pretty much only 4 places I currently buy my anime online.
Amazon – The more obvious, great for currently in print titles and quite a few out of print, which are mostly sold by individual sellers through Amazon. A lot of titles you can buy from sellers for a lot cheaper than Amazon’s market-price.
eBay – great for out of print and harder to find titles. Also great for picking solo discs to help finish off series where you may be missing a few episodes, etc… just takes a little more perseverance and patience to find and/or wait until what you’re looking for shows up.
Robert's Anime Corner Store – a fantastic and not so well known online anime merchant. Prices are usually very reasonable, but only for titles that are currently in print and abundantly available, otherwise the rarer titles can skyrocket in price. One good thing to note is that when pre-ordering or looking for Brand New titles, they’ll almost always ship the moment they receive them (which is almost always like a week or so before the official release date). I’ve gotten many a title well before it was available anywhere else from Robert’s. which is always fun :-)
GEMM – stands for Global Electronic Music Marketplace and yes, I’ve bought many a great out of print CD’s and Records.. but many people aren’t aware that they also sell memorabilia, books, video, etc… a site that connects individual sellers and independent store with the general populace. it’s kinda a Craig’s List for music, video, etc.. mostly best for a lot harder to find stuff. I bought lot of old, rare, really hard to find Ranma ½ merch off of GEMM, laserdiscs, records, CD’s, etc…
So how about you guys… where are some of your favorite places to buy anime releases and merchandise online? |